Politico: New York Playbook Morning Newsletter
By Erin Durkin, Anna Gronewold and Téa Kvetenadze
June 30, 2021
“Without More Tourists, City Hotels Can’t Bring Back All Their Furloughed Staffers,” by WNYC’s Beth Fertig: “New York hotels rely heavily on international and business travel — both of which have yet to rebound. And experts say leisure travelers initially went to states like Florida that had fewer restrictions. The domestic travel market is now finally coming back to New York and the city is spending $30 million on a new marketing campaign. But it’s going to be a while before tourism is back to pre-pandemic levels. In 2019, more than 66 million visitors generated $70 billion in economic activity. So while hotels are reopening, they still don’t have enough guests to justify bringing back all their staffers. The Hotel Association of New York City said occupancy was about 66% percent in late June, down from almost 90% pre-pandemic.”